Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Color

I don't think it would be fair to say that Chicago in winter is colorless. It's not. There is always the blue of the lake, and often the blue of the sky. But our cold-weather palette is certainly muted, and around this time of year it can start to feel like the world outside has gone all gray with buff highlights.

Maybe that's why suddenly everything on my work table is colorful. Make that multicolorful.

I finished swatching colors for my hypothetical Fair Isle vest.

Not bad at all. You could make a good vest out of that. But I've decided I want some zingy tones in there, so I'm going to order up a skein of orange and one of lapis lazuli (or whatever I can get that's close to lapis lazuli). And yes, I know a bunch of you said at first glance that I ought to do something of the kind, but I had to try it for myself. I appreciate suggestions, but I almost never take anybody's word for anything. That's just one of the many, many extremely annoying things about me. (For a full and annotated list, please contact my parents.)

Then there was this lovely sock yarn I'd had sitting around, waiting for me to get to it.

The colorway is Mahogany and it's from The March Hare. Meg's stuff comes from her own flock of Border Leicesters. The yarn is lovely to look at and blessedly soft, but until now I couldn't find a pattern that would do it justice.

First, I took a whack at Ariel Barton's Cable Net, which I've had my eye on since it was published. I worked the whole first chart before conceding that the yarn was too dark and just a little too variegated (though it's definitely a semi-solid) to show off the pattern. Rip.

Then, I thought maybe a plain sock would be best for the yarn, but quickly remembered why I don't knit plain socks. (Puzzlement: I have no trouble sitting motionless on a meditation cushion for an hour, but want to scream and throw things after six inches of unrelieved stockinette. Why?)

Then, I remembered a bright blue Shepherd's Sock from Lorna's Laces that's been vacationing in the stash cupboard for at least a year. What about a color-patterned sock?

Under the influence of two wallpapers from the first season of Upstairs, Downstairs, I spent two hours with my pad of graph paper and came up with this.

I feel encouraged enough to continue.

Pattern Alerts: Two Hats

Remember the Bavarian Twisted Stitch Hat I finished in January, using Meg Swansen's handout from Knitting Camp? If you don't, here it is again.

A bunch of folks asked about the pattern, which at the time hadn't been published except in the handout. But, happy chance, it was already being prepped for an appearance in the newest issue (Number 80) of Wool Gathering, the venerable and delicious newsletter from Schoolhouse Press. I love the new version.

And I would like to mention, in case you care to check it out, that there's a Victorian baby hood in the new Knitty that I worked up using an 1840s recipe. (The five-day-old model is not a member of the family. She was graciously loaned by her parents. As you can tell from the look on her face, she simply adored working with me.)

The sock pattern is gorgeous, but that's not what brought me here. I came hoping, swear to god, that there would be somewhere I could leave a comment saying how much I love the photos that go with the new Knitty column. I laugh like a total mental case every time I look at them. So fabulous.

My mother gave me one of your "I learned to knit in prison" shirts, and I usually just wear it around the house. One day, without thinking about it, I wore it out on errands, which included a stop at the liquor store (to buy wine as a gift, honest). When I was at the counter paying, the man ringing up my sale looked at my shirt and elbowed the woman working next to him and said, "You need one of those shirts!" It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about. And by then I was a bit afraid to ask if the woman had been in prison or if she was a knitter. I laughed and fled the scene.

hi, just discovered your blog today after looking at your baby hood on knitty; curious about the 1000 knitter project; read that as of july 2008 you were getting close; is there a post that talks about the 1000th knitter; will enjoy reading your blog; take care

I had already noticed the Wool Gatherer & decided to get it because of the hats (I'm ashamed to say I let my subscription lapse) & then just now noticed the baby hood in Knitty. That is just about the sweetest baby garment I've ever seen!

The vest swatch - love the colors and stitch pattern! - and the socks are both lovely. Great work!

That is the crankiest baby I think I've ever seen modeling anything. Now if you'd Photoshopped it with Abigail's face, you'd have more people knitting it. Lovely design, though, perfect for a special occasion.

I was wondering what you had done to make that baby so cranky. Clearly that child is not a knitter. A knitting baby, even a five-day-old one, would have been beaming to have been chosen to model your pattern.

That swatch is lovely. I'm planning a Fair Isle vest myself, so I feel your pain. I now have eleventy different colours to play with...this is not making it easier. I've not even swatched yet, a Norwegian sweater distracted me. The sock? All kinds of lovely. We definitely demand a chart. I can see that on a sweater.

Oh my Franklin! That sock colour pattern is stunning! When I saw the two balls together I thought to myself "um, hmm... no. definately no." (When I think it's always in lowercase.) But you've married them together beautifully and I'm just amazed! Love it!

I am very impressed by your eye for color. I love that swatch for the fair-isle vest, and those sock yarns are stunning together. I don't think I could ever think up either combination on my own.

I also thought your bonnet in Knitty was really nice. I love your description too, especially the part about protecting their heads from being whacked on the barn door or the butter churn :) That poor baby looked like it had somewhere else it wanted to be, though :)

I love your article in knitty. I have no newborns about the place, nor am I anticipating any in the next 10 years or so, and I'm not all that crazy about the "baby hood" anyhow. But I love the article. And I **love** the angry baby! Such a riot. I almost thought you photoshopped the child into the pictures. Really quite entertaining all around. Keep up the good work!

Yeah, I like the Upstairs, Downstairs socks. I wondered what you were going to do with two such seemingly opposing colored yarns when I saw the first photo, but I was totally AMAZED by the pattern and how well the colors worked together. Well done, as always. You are so creative Franklin!

Oh! I want to make the socks.. I love the pattern, but I can find one of those myself.. I may need to dye that blue though! beautiful color combo! I read your article first from Knitty.. I love your way of presenting anything funny guy!

Forget your knitting, ( of which I am quite fond...) I am more impressed with: "I appreciate suggestions, but I almost never take anybody's word for anything...." - you are my doubleganger. you are my hero. You have just validated my behavior to my friends as 'semi'(?) within the acceptable range. In spite of being from NY, I tell them, "I'm from Missouri, show me".Merci.

Just, wow. Love the sock in progress. And I think you're on the right track to add a little bright to the vest. Just bought and read your book, btw! My non-knitting husband even read it and I could hear him giggling from the next room. Might you do a whole Dolores book sometime? I'd buy two! Or more!

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